Dr. Maki Isaka, Associate Professor, Asian Languages and Literature, University of Minnesota, will discuss the history, background and special characteristics of Kabuki, mainly onnagata (female impersonator) where a male plays a female role. Female impersonation has been an important aspect of the kabuki dramaturgy since the seventeenth century to date. The lecture examines how this theatrical gender impersonation has shaped both the concept of femininity and the economy of gender construction in Japan.